


Colorado

by breathingsentences



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Holiday, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-30
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-10-19 10:16:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17599397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/breathingsentences/pseuds/breathingsentences
Summary: Damian and Tim have an unpleasant meeting with an elk in the woods.





	1. Outside

**Author's Note:**

> First time writting more than 1 chap, so please, let me know what you think in the comments!

Part 1

 

"You are a magnanimous idiot, Drake," Damian muttered between heavy breaths. His back ached for the exertion, lips oddly dry even after their unpleasant dip in the water. "Father most had truly... truly lost his mind accepting you in." He stopped for a second to take a deep ragged breath and shift his hands from under Drake's arms. "You're a nuisance, a stubborn simpleton, a ridi..."

There was low moan and Damian froze, his head snapping to his brother's face.

"Drake?" He asked sounding way too hopeful for his own liking. "Can you hear me?" But the teen had fallen silent again, face slack and limp limbs, just like when he was pulled from the river. 

Damian freed one hand to check the pulse. Way too fast. There was something other than his head bleeding then. 

Of course that would be after a fall like that.

He clenched his teeth and grabbed at him again keeping on pulling backwards towards the top of the gorge. He had spent the last few minutes simply by leading Drake’s unconscious form through the river, until they reached rocks not too steep where he could manage to pull them both back up. He had checked him quickly, ripped at his shirt, tied it around Drake’s head and began to climb.

"You’re so moronic,” he continued dragging his cargo. “Your strategies? As laughable as yourself. Only a dumb fool would call the attention of an elk during mating season to yourself." 

His stomach twisted just remembering the way he had frozen in place, sketchbook and pencil still in hand when he noticed the massive elk just behind him, already huffing and hitting its hooves against the ground. There was no scaping route. He was trapped between the animal and the large rock at his back. They had planned on climbing it up after he completed his drawing. It had been the sole reason Drake had agreed to drive him so far away from the cabin in the first place.

Damian kept his posture straight, hand aching for a Batarang, but hoping that maybe, with the certain angle, the right amount of strength and a miracle, maybe the pencil could hit the deer's eye making him step back just long enough for him to try and scape through the fast and rocky river running a few feet beneath them.

But then he spots Drake. He had returned to the car after forgetting his camera. He had stopped wide eyed, camera still in hand staring at the disaster bound to happen.

“Hey!” Drake called at the beast and was categorically ignored. The elk moved his head down angling his antlers to Damian, who slowly took a fighting stance. He was not insane. He knew it was pointless to measure strength with and adult elk, but perhaps if he ran and dodged just in time. “I talked to you, Rudolph!” Drake seemed desperate now. Still Damian had the advantage. He was smaller, more agile, and was the only true rational part on the entire equation. He got this. 

The animal huffed once again and a split second before charging. Damian did the same, his teeth in a snarl. 

Then a camera flew right into the elk’s left antler. 

The animal turned, surprisingly fast for something so big, and then charged, full speed after Drake who had already turned around, feet slipping on the moss-covered stones running back towards where he had come from. Still the elk was much faster, gaining speed in every gallop, an angry sound scaping his nostrils. 

This time it was Damian who yelled throwing his notepad and pencil at the beast. But it was too far away, target already locked, and he could do nothing but stare in horror as it charged over Drake, inches from stabbing his back. 

“Jump!” Damian yelled, the sound coming out strangled in panic and adrenaline, but clearly it had been Drake’s plan all along. He hadn’t run away from the edge, but in a semi straight line parallel to it. If he was an extra inch away from the animal, his fall would’ve met the smooth part of the river, away from the rocks just ahead. 

Tim knew it was risky. He had calculated the animal’s speed, knew it would continue its trajectory up before falling in the water with him. That’s why he had to go against all his instincts and not jump away from the rocks. He had to fall, as near of his dropping point as possible, not to be hit or drowned by his pursuer. He had barely had time to come up with his plan, hadn’t managed to go through all possibilities. He was counting on some luck.

But luck was rarely on his side these days.

He managed not to make an impulse up and drop feet first towards the water. What he wasn’t counting was the animal to notice where they were getting, try to slow its pace and end up slipping on the rocks, falling just by the edge, slamming against Tim on his way down before sinking them both under the river’s waters.

“Drake!” he screamed in the empty space before reaching the edge looking down. Only the elk’s body floating in midst red waters. No sign of his brother. There was no choice. He jumped. 

He hadn't dared to think through all that happened, hadn't stopped to consider his actions, to realize what they had gotten themselves into. He was moving automatically, finding the teen in the water and then getting him help, like he was supposed to. He was counting on the adrenaline to keep him moving and keep his thoughts from wandering from the task ahead. He couldn't let himself feel anything. That's why he busied himself in the fruitless tasks of talking to an unconscious person.

“Father will hear about this,” He pulled at the boy again. They had reached a steep part of rock and Damian had to sit, pull Drake against his chest and then move back, sitting again and dragging again and again. “He may forbid you from venturing on wildlife again, and I will vouch for it.” His back burned, legs rubbery. “You’ll be benched,” another pull, “I’ll make sure of that.”

He felt silent focusing on saving his strength. When they reached the top, his clothes were drenched in blood and he shook head to toe. He kneeled by Drake’s head and reached for his neck to feel the pulse. Slowing down, weaker then twenty minutes ago. He pated at Drake’s pale cheeks, opened the eyelids and checked his blown wide pupils, laid his ear against his chest to check on the lungs. There was a fine rattling on the right side. Could be water, could be blood. 

“God dammit, Drake!” He bellowed furiously before sitting back on his legs and looking around. “I’ll get the car. It will take a couple minutes. Do not attempt anything stupid, you hear me?” Tim breathed shallowly in response. “I’ll hold you against it.” Damian said standing up. And then he ran.

He’d get the car, drive all the way to where Drake was, drive all the way back to the cabin. It was closer than the town’s clinic anyway, a lot less questions too. But could Drake handle it? The phantom memory of the weak pulse against his fingers said no. They had to go to town. Father would be furious.

He reached the car in record time and made his way back in a blur of trees and rocks under the twilight. Drake was exactly how Damian had left him, if only a shade paler. His skin was clammy, and his breaths had become uneven and raspy. There was no time to lose.

“’amian,” Tim groaned shifting on the passenger seat, eyes still firmly shut.

“I’m here, Drake. Stay still. We’re going to the hospital.” He darted his eyes from the road for a second. The teen had turned his head to his direction, brows furrowed in discomfort.

Then he promptly emptying his stomach on the seat. Damian pulled over suddenly, grabbing at Drake’s shirt until he laid sideways. He hadn’t put so much effort to have him choke to death a mile away from their destination.

“You are a disgrace,” He reached into the glove compartment for tissues. “You’ve ruined your own car,” He covered most of the mess, avoiding it to trail down Drake’s chest. The teen was still gagging and panting, his skin gone ashen. Damian reached for his wrist. The pulse was rapid, maybe a bit stronger than before. They could make it. “Father will not be pleased.”

“Mmhm…”

“I agree," he hit the gas again. They were so close now. "I think you are pretty stupid too.”


	2. Inside

Part 2

 

They had found him sitting in the empty waiting room, elbows resting on his knees and a vacant look in his eyes.

“Damian,” Bruce exhaled approaching the boy in long strides, his heart racing in his chest. It was supposed to be a holiday, a time for them to relax near the nature and get some actual rest. Instead he had to rush with Alfred and Jason to the small town’s clinic. He kneeled at his youngest’s feet, hands instinctively reaching for his shoulders. “Are you okay?” 

“Tt,” Only the ghost of the usual spite behind the sound. “I’m well, Father”. The man stared at him for a few more seconds. The boy was exhausted, his eyelids heavy with sleep and the ever-present ramrod posture bent under the weight of fatigue. His nails and clothes stained brown with dried blood and dirt.

“Mister Wayne?” They both looked up. A doctor was standing with a clipboard in hand, the tension on the woman’s shoulders made Bruce clench his jaw. He turned his attention to Damian.

“I’ll come back soon.” Damian tutted again as Bruce and sent a look to Alfred and Jason. The older man occupied the chair next to him.

“We brought you some clothes, in case you want to wash up,” The butler said gently. The kid looked up at him, a strange, distant expression on his big round eyes. His stare fell to his hands and he closed his fists, his knuckles turning white. A second passed without another reaction and Alfred glanced at Jason who was standing with hands shoved deep in his pockets a few feet from them. The man was frowning slightly at Damian, smart eyes also scanning the child. Alfred cleared his throat. “The nurse’s phone call was a bit rushed. Would you mind telling us what happened?”

The boy looked away to the door Bruce had disappeared with the doctor, the door to the long room he knew Drake laid connected to tubes and needles. They had let him in briefly once Drake was stabilized. They said he would be fine, that he needed rest and time to recover. He had stared at the teen’s pale form for a minute or two, just reading the monitors and listening his breathing when that lady came in.

He had heard her heels clacking on the linoleum floor, smelled her nauseating flowery perfume from three feet away. Before she pulled the curtain and tapped his shoulder, he knew what she was. 

“Hello. I’m Gina Davis. The clinic’s social worker. Can you follow me? We need to talk.”

It was obvious what she wanted. They were both minors, left unsupervised in the woods during mating season. The older one got injured, the eleven-year-old saved him, dragging him from the water and then driving miles to get help. 

Poetic for the papers, major red flags for Social Services.

“Drake is emancipated.” Was the first thing that left his mouth, a statement that, at least in his head, might ease the woman’s approach on his father. But she simply made a quick note and squinted her eyes at him.

“What I’m most intrigued about is about your driving skills. How did you learn to drive?”

Shit. There was a protocol for it, right? He should play the victim, act his age and ball his eyes out, weeping fat tears and seem unable to speak until Father arrived with a rational action plan. They weren’t in Gotham. Out here people didn’t consider the Waynes some sort of intriguing and eccentric rich bunch. It was written in the woman’s face she thought she was dealing with children in need of rescue from terrible abusive parents. Problem is she was a bit too late.

And he was more than a bit tired.

“Microsoft has great simulators,” he had heard himself saying. “And golf carts on the property. And regular karts. The car is an automatic, Gina. There isn’t much secret about it.” There, playing the rich little bastard should suffice. He hoped she would back off now realizing she was payed way too little to put up with his bullshit. He could take the exasperated sighs and eye rolls.

But if she pressed a bit harder, if she dared to show him sympathy or some ridiculous soft feeling, he would he might fail to talk through the lump on his throat.

“Your father has been informed of the accident. He will be here shortly,” She pointed a finger at his direction. “And he will hear of me.”. It was like a physical burden lifted from his shoulders when she hurried him to the waiting room and left him alone.

But now Pennyworth was here, a much more difficult interviewer to dodge.

“Master Damian?” the gentle tone matched the touch on his arm. The numbness was fading, his thoughts started to rush, and his ears were filled with the sound of the running waters of the river.

“An elk,” he mumbled feeling his chest oddly empty despite the confusion on his head. He swallowed before starting again. “They fell in the river.”

“An elk attack?” Jason huffed in his hoarse tone. “Are you kidding me? A fucking elk is what got him?” Damian’s head snapped at him, a fire starting to burn in his eyes.

“Master Jason, please.” Alfred complained tiredly, a meaningful look directed to Jason. But the man didn’t seem to care, he had found what he was looking for o Damian and took a step forward towards them.

“This is so ridiculous. Unbelievable. It could at least be a bear… or a shark. It doesn’t even sound cool.”  
Damian’s teeth were out in a snarl, the emptiness being quickly replaced by rage.

“Shut your mouth, Todd!”

“How he died? Blown up in a warehouse, that sounds badass. Thrown down a hill by a horny Bambi, though…”

“I said shut the fuck up!” And then he had leaped, throwing himself at Todd’s face, trying to scratch his eyes, shoving his fingers into his mouth and pulling against the inside of his cheeks, quacking feet aiming for the groin.

“He’s not gonna die!” Damian yelled still trying to rip Todd’s eyes out, but something wet was blurring his vision. “I got help! I saved him!” He had managed to climb on Todd’s torso, both knees digging into the man’s unprotected ribs while a hand grabbed a handfuls of bicolored hair and the other closed in a fist aimed for the nose. But Todd was fast for someone his size, he dodged the blow managing to trap Damian’s arm under his, pulling the kid’s face against his shoulder.

“That you did, kid. That you did.” It was all it took to break the dam.

“I didn’t see it… I didn’t…” The boy tried, but painful sobs ripped his chest stealing his air. His hand let go of Jason’s hair and he wrapped his arms around Todd’s neck. “Drake… he…”

Jason cradled the boy’s head in a hand and pulled an arm under Damian’s legs to hold him against his chest, like a toddler. He knew he was risking his neck trying to shake that apathy from the boy, it had just never occurred he would be risking it this way. Damian was trembling and he turned to whisper in his ear. “An accident. Not your fault.”

“No.” the kid weakly shook his head against the hard shoulder.

“Yes. You weren’t Robins there. You were allowed to be distracted. You are allowed to have your guard down sometimes, specially during vacation.” Damian sniffed and Jason glanced at Alfred, who had stood up during the brawl and now watched in solemn silence, with a somewhat gentle expression on his face. “Timmy’s a stubborn ass. We’ll take him home in no time.” The arms tightened around his neck and he felt himself tense.

“What is it, child?” Alfred asked putting a hand on the boy’s back and standing behind Jason to look at the reddened eyes. 

“I may have… there’s a social worker…” Alfred pat his back.

“We expected that. Not to worry. Master Bruce has had plenty encounters with them in the past.” Jason huffed quietly and Damian relaxed, exhaustion finally weighting him down.

“Get some shut eye. You’ll need it. Wonder Boy won’t let you out of his sight once his flight lands.”

By the time Bruce returned, they had settled back in the plastic chairs, Damian fast asleep on Jason’s lap, Alfred at their side, a cup of coffee in hand.

“He’ll be fine. Got a few broken bones, a serious concussion… he woke up briefly and asked for Damian. Wanted to know if he was all right.”

“The lad will be good as new after a warm shower, some tea and a comfortable bed.”

Bruce brushed the dirty bangs out the boy’s forehead, the knots in his stomach untangling slowly. He didn’t dare to imagine how things could have been so much worse things could have been. “I talked to the social worker. She was worried about what happened.”

“What’d you tell her, B?” Bruce looked up at Jason, not stopping the stroke of his fingers on Damian’s hair. 

“That they were lucky they had each other,” Bruce stated quietly. “We all are lucky they had each other.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There it is!  
> Please do leave comments and let me know what you think!
> 
> Thank you!!!

**Author's Note:**

> Bruce, Alfred and Jason are coming on the next part!  
> I'll update on Saturday.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
